Tafsir (Arabic : ﺗﻔﺴﻴﺮ, romanized : Tafsīr,literally 'interpretation' [taf.ˈsiːr] ) is the Arabic word for exegesis, usually of the Quran . An author of a tafsir is a mufassir ( Arabic: ﻣُﻔﺴّﺮ; plural: Arabic :
ﻣﻔﺴّﺮﻭﻥ , romanized : mufassirūn). A Quranic tafsir attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding and conviction of God's will.
Principally, a tafsir deals with the issues of linguistics , jurisprudence , and theology . In terms of perspective and approach, tafsir can be broadly divided into two categories, namely tafsir bi-al-ma'thur (received tafsir), which is transmitted from the early days of Islam through the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions , and tafsir bi-al-ra'y (lit. tafsir by opinion), which is arrived through personal reflection or independent rational thinking.